PEANUTS: The Next ChapterEpisode 7: DID-Point of No Return
by HPDrummerman
Summary: Lucy's initiation into the Serpent Sisters is complete, and she receives a new handle: Mamba. Linus is concerned about his sister's new lifestyle. Peppermint Patty get a good first quarter report card for once. Melanie, however, gets a bad report card and is worried that she may have to repeat the fourth grade. Also Peppermint Patty confronts Mamba over egging Marcie's house.
1. Chapter 1

Episode 7: Descent Into Darkness-Point of No Return

 **CHAPTER 1: EXIT LUCY VAN PELT; ENTER MAMBA**

At the Serpent Sisters' hideout at the abandoned warehouse, all of the lights were out, except for a bunch of candles that were lit. Cobra was dressed in a red robe, while Python, Anaconda, and Rattler were dressed in black robes. Lucy was wearing a white robe and knelt down in front of Cobra. The other girls were off to the side. There was an alter set up in between Cobra and Lucy. At the alter were a pitcher of what was believed to be a fruit juice, and a goblet covered in rubies, pearls, and emeralds.

Lucy had completed her initiation into the Serpent Sisters. Now she was about to receive her snake handle. She was once again happy and satisfied with her life, and she had friends again who didn't judge her based on past mistakes. In fact, it was her scheme against Charlie Brown at the Homecoming game two years prior that got the Serpents interested in her in the first place. And now she was about to be one of them.

"Lucy Van Pelt," Cobra began, "you have showed great promise, excellent skills at mayhem, and fierce loyalty to your fellow Serpent Sister. You have completed your initiation and tests of loyalty and succeeded with flying colors. Tonight I am proud to welcome you into the Serpent Sisters gang. From now on you will go by your new Serpent handle which I will reveal in a moment. You will still answer to Lucy if any adults call on you like your parents or teachers. Do not lash out at them about your name. Also any siblings or relatives you may have can still call you by your given birth name. But as for outsiders, your new Serpent name will be… Mamba!"

"Welcome, Mamba!" announced the other three girls.

"To complete the ceremony," Cobra finished, "we will all drink from the Goblet of Sisterhood." Cobra poured some of the punch into the goblet. She was the first to drink from it, then Python, then Mamba, then Anaconda, and finally Rattler.

"The ceremony is now complete," said Cobra. "Welcome to the Serpent Sisters, Mamba." The girls cheered and Mamba smiled big. She made it. She was now a Serpent Sister.

Elsewhere, Charlie Brown and Linus were at the wall talking. He was telling Charlie Brown about the argument Mamba (nee Lucy) had with Peppermint Patty.

"Are you sure about this, Linus?" asked Charlie Brown.

"Definitely, Charlie Brown," said a concerned Linus. "Lucy's now a member of the Serpent Sisters! I never would have believed it myself if I hadn't heard it for myself. Also she and the others apparently vandalized a school."

"Well Peppermint Patty and her almost came to blows at Ace's the other day, so I wasn't sure how true it was that she joined up with the Serpents, until you said she admitted it."

"I don't know if I should come to mom and dad about the situation. I don't want to upset Lucy at all."

"Linus, if she's in a dangerous gang, you have to tell your parents. No matter how upset she'll get, and we both know how angry Lucy can get, you owe it to yourself AND her. How did this come about anyway?"

"As far as I know, it started after the fallout from Homecoming. She was desponded and I think one of the Serpents approached her and pitched her idea about Lucy joining them."

"I guess that makes sense," Charlie Brown said. "I wasn't talking to her, and other folks were pretty much ignoring her. And the ones who still talked to her were weary of her because of what happened."

"I'm just worried that she'll put a hurting on me if I tell my parents," said Linus.

"She usually does that without much provocation, anyway," stated Charlie Brown. "You have to do something, Linus."

"I know. But I'll talk to her first before doing anything myself."

"Probably a good idea. Convince her to come clean to your parents first, then if she refuses, go from there."

"Yeah, but I hope it don't cost me in the long run." Both boys stood for a while thinking about what will happen with Lucy, who, unbeknownst to both of them, was now calling herself Mamba.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: PEPPERMINT PATTY GETS SOME GOOD NEWS; MELANIE NOT SO MUCH**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: THE OUTSTANDING REPORT CARD**

Peppermint Patty was in class nervously waiting for her report card to come back to her. She had been studying really hard and trying to get less D minuses than before. She was hoping for some good grades for once. Plus she could use some good news for a change. With all of the drama around Mamba (Lucy) and the Homecoming fallout, her nerves were spent. She wanted something to be happy about again.

The teacher handed out the report cards to the students and when Patty received hers, she was shaking with fear. What if she had gotten more D minuses, or worse? She opened her envelope and looked in anticipation. Her nervousness soon turned to happiness.

"What did you get, sir?" asked Marcie, sitting behind Patty.

"I got B's and C's, and actually a couple of A's," said Peppermint Patty, getting emotional. "I don't believe it! Not even one D minus on this report card, Marcie! I did it! I finally got a decent report card!"

"Good for you, sir," said a happy Marcie. "I knew with hard work, you'd get some good grades for once."

"I really needed this, Marcie," said Patty, now sobbing softly. "With everything that has happened I needed something positive to offset this drama. I'm so happy. The lowest grades I have is a couple of C pluses."

"I'm happy for you, sir," Marcie said to her friend, who was beside herself with emotion. "You and Franco should do something to celebrate."

"I think I will, Marcie. Plus I'm not going to stop now! I'm gonna continue to study hard and do my best. And with me staying at your house during the days my father works late really has helped me to stay focused."

Peppermint Patty continued to look at her report card with glee. She finally said to herself, "Happiness is finally getting good grades!"

All of the sudden the class heard Melanie shout, "OH NO!" The teacher told Melanie to keep it down, to which she replied, "Sorry, ma'am."

Franklin, who was seated in front of Peppermint Patty and behind Melanie, asked, "What's the matter, Mel?"

"I failed in most of my subjects, Frankie," said an upset Melanie. "I got a few D minuses and the highest grade I got was a D plus! Everything else I failed on! I'm never gonna graduate from the Fourth Grade!"

"It's only the First Quarter report card, Mel," Franklin stated. "You can still turn this around."

"How?" pouted Melanie.

"With the peewee football season over, I can help you study. Just remember what Marcie told you; make it into a cheer and you will grasp the subjects better."

"You'd do that for me? Oh, Frankie! You're the best boyfriend ever!" She kissed Franklin on the cheek, but the teacher told them to wait until after school for romance, causing the rest of the kids to laugh. Franklin and Melanie smiled with embarrassment.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: LINUS TALKS WITH MAMBA**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: BROTHER TO SISTER**

Linus nervously thought about what he was going to say to his sister. He figured he could reach her by reminding her that she had family that cared for her. But he wanted to do it right without any kind of confrontation. He wanted to get the straight answer from her about if she was involved with the vandalism of the remedial school that was being talked about. He wanted to see if it was true about her joining up with the notorious Serpent Sisters.

At that moment she walked into the house which was unusually dark. Once she closed the door, a single light by the recliner went on. Linus was seated in it looking quite serious. "Hello, big sis," he greeted.

Mamba looked at her brother acting strangely. "I see you're being more of a blockhead than usual, so I'll be going to bed now."

"No," he said, stopping her. "We need to talk first. I overheard your argument with Peppermint Patty the other day. Something about you joining up with the Serpent Sisters."

"You were eves-dropping?!" Mamba exclaimed.

"Actually it was kind of easy to hear you two as you were talking louder than you usually do. No eves-dropping was necessary. Anyway, all I want to know is if it's true or not."

"And if it is?"

"Lucy, this gang is dangerous. Who knows what will happen if you stay with them!"

"Look, Linus. They have been good to me. They haven't judged me for any wrongdoings that I did, past or present."

"The Homecoming scheme is a minor incident compared to what these girls have you doing. Vandalizing schools, egging and toilet papering houses…"

"I never mentioned doing any egging of houses or papering houses!" Mamba said, suspiciously.

"You didn't have to," Linus stated. "I found a ton of empty egg cartons and toilet paper cores in the trash after Halloween. I just put two and two together. I guess I didn't want to believe it at the time, but now I see for sure."

"Have you talked to anyone else about this?!" she said, looking intimidating.

"Outside of Charlie Brown, no. I haven't even said anything to mom or dad. At least not yet. The ball's in your court, Lucy. Will you leave this gang, or do I have to go to them?"

"Before I give you an answer, think about this, little brother. Usually if you get in trouble with me, I either threaten you or pound you. And because you're my brother, I'll continue to do no more than that. But as for my new friends, they're not as forgiving. If you go to our parents about this, I'll pound you. But the other girls will do much worse and I won't be able to stop them. Do you get my drift?"

Linus's blood ran cold with that statement. He couldn't believe that his sister actually threatened that the Serpents would go after him in retaliation for ratting them out.

"Peppermint Patty didn't go to the authorities about the vandalizing because she knew she was playing with fire," Mamba continued. "She knew it was five of us, and one of her, so she wisely dropped the subject. What about you, Linus? THINK IT OVER."

He knew he was defeated in this battle. He finally said, "All right. I won't go to the parents. But I'm not done with dealing with this."

"I don't expect you to be done with it," Mamba finished. "I expect you to stay out of our way." And she went to her room. Linus couldn't believe what just transpired. His own sister threatened harm to him if he told their parents what he knew. He was between a rock and a hard place. He went to his room slowly.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: VET'S THE PITS**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: LET'S GO TO THE VET, SNOOPY!**

Charlie Brown was pacing up and down pondering something. Sally was curious why her brother was pacing so much. He was doing great with Frieda, Lucy was out of his life and not bothering him, nor was Violet for that matter. So why was he pacing so much.

"Everything okay, big brother?" she asked.

"Yeah," he responded, "I'm just wondering how I'm going to get Snoopy to willingly go to the vet. It's time for his check-up, but he always gets so nervous about going because he's afraid he's gonna get a shot."

"Well he should be caught up with all of his shots," Sally pointed out, "so he shouldn't be nervous about going."

"Exactly," said Charlie Brown. "But with Snoopy, veterinarian equals shots. What's worse is that he's gotten wise to our tricks. He needs to prove that we're going to a place we said we were going. So if we're going to get ice cream, he expects there to be ice cream."

"I see. Why don't you have dad go to the place where you say they're going and then take him to the vet?"

"No. I got to try something else." Charlie Brown continued to pace up and down, wondering how he was going to get Snoopy to the vet without a fight. Finally he had an idea. First he called Frieda.

"Hello Frieda?" he started. "Can you come over? I need your help with something."

Frieda showed up to the Brown's house. Charlie Brown answered it. "Hey, Frieda."

"Hi, cutie," she said, and then kissed him. "So what can your Friedakins do for her Charlie Baby?"

"Snoopy needs to go to the vet today for his check-up. But he has a history of trying to avoid the vet like the Plague. And with his aversion to, as you put it, 'being a traditional dog', I think you can make a deal with him."

"I think I know what to do, honey." And Frieda went to the backyard where Snoopy was lying on top of his doghouse.

"Okay listen up!" she began. "It's a nice day out today. The sun is shining, the crisp autumn air, and the rabbits a-plenty! However I'm gonna give you a choice: You can either go out hunting for rabbits with me, or you can go get a check-up at the vets to see if you are even healthy enough to play shortstop and be the superstar, let alone able to hunt said rabbits. You see for either of these activities you must be in tip-top shape. And if Charlie Brown wants to keep his shortstop, you'd better get that check-up. And you may not even need a shot."

Snoopy thought hard about what Frieda said. While he didn't feel like hunting rabbits, he didn't want to be in ill health either. Snoopy reluctantly went towards the family car and got in without incident. Charlie Brown was amazed. She managed to get Snoopy to get inside the car to go to the vets, and he didn't put up a fight or try to hide.

"What did you do?" he asked her.

"I just played on his ego," she said, with a smile. "I told him if he didn't go, there may be a chance he couldn't be the superstar of the team anymore. Plus I gave him a choice of going rabbit hunting or the vets to see if he was healthy to even do that."

"Thank you, Frieda," said a grateful Charlie Brown. "Not only a great girlfriend, but an outstanding negotiator as well!"

"And now for my payment," said Frieda. "Treating your ever-loving girlfriend to lunch at Joe's Café."

"You got it, babe!" And Charlie Brown and Frieda hopped in the car with Snoopy and asked his father to drop them off at Joe's on the way to taking Snoopy to the vet.

Later at Joe's, Charlie Brown and Frieda were enjoying their lunch when Peppermint Patty and Franco walked in. They saw Charlie Brown and Frieda and went to greet them.

"Heya gang!" Patty greeted.

"Hey Patty and Franco," replied Charlie Brown.

"You're in a good mood, hun," said Frieda noticing Peppermint Patty's happy demeanor.

"I am happy, kids," Patty said. "I finally scored a decent report card, AND free of D minuses!"

"Wow, that's great!" said Charlie Brown. "Congratulations, Patty."

"Thanks, Chuck. I really studied hard this time around and took things seriously. And I'm going to continue this hard work so I can maintain it. I don't expect to be valedictorian or anything; just at least make a good showing in grades."

"We totally understand," said Frieda.

"So what's your plans for today?" asked Charlie Brown.

"Today I take Patricia out to lunch to celebrate good report card," said Franco. "Then we go to movies."

"Sounds like a good day for you two," said Charlie Brown.

"It is, Chuck," agreed Patty. "After what happened with the Homecoming incident, I needed something good to happen like this."

"That reminds me," Charlie Brown remembered, "Linus told me about your argument with Lucy. He overheard you two talking. Is it true about her being in the Serpent Sisters?"

"I'm afraid so, Chuck," Patty replied sadly. "Our own issues with her isn't important anymore. She's joined up with this gang and doing who knows what. I never would have believed it if it weren't for me and Marcie taking a late night walk."

"Late night walk?"

"I was feeling despondent over how I treated you after the previous game two years ago again. Even though you forgave me for that already, those guilt feelings came back because of the revelation that Lucille planned this from the beginning. And I was talking with Marcie about it when we saw that the Serpent Sisters were vandalizing the remedial school Thibault went to after he was suspended from our school indefinitely. What we didn't know until after we followed them back to their hideout was that Lucille was with them."

"So it is true about them vandalizing the school," said Charlie Brown.

"Not only that, but as I'm sure Linus told you, she was proud to be a part of that gang. She said that since we've shunned her, the Serpents became her new friends."

"I may have not been talking to her because of what happened, especially to Snoopy, but I wouldn't want her to feel so rejected that she'd join a dangerous gang. This outweighs anything bad she's done to us, including what happened at Homecoming."

"That's what I told her. It's like she doesn't care anymore."

"I told Linus he should go to his parents about it and maybe they can put a stop to it. But try to get through to Lucy first."

"Probably a good idea, Chuck. I hope it worked." At that moment, Linus and Eudora walked in. Linus looked really upset. He was clinging to his blanket harder than usual.

"Speak of the devil," said Frieda. "Linus, is everything all right, hun?"

"No, Frieda," said an upset Linus. "Everything's all wrong!"

"What happened, Linus?" asked Charlie Brown.

"I did what you told me, Charlie Brown," he began. "I talked to Lucy first. Not only did she not refuse to leave the Serpent Sisters, but she threatened if I told mom or dad, harm would be coming my way from not only her but the other girls as well. And they would do worse to me than Lucy would."

"Oh my gosh," said Frieda.

"I've been staying with him all day to make sure he's all right," said a concerned Eudora.

"I'm glad you are, Eudora," said Peppermint Patty. "Linus, what exactly did she say?"

"She said if I went to our parents, she'd slug me," Linus said. "But while I'm used to that, she also said that the rest of the Serpents would do much worse and she said that she doesn't think she could stop them!"

"All right that tears it!" said an angry Patty. "We put up with a lot from Lucille in the past, but threatening harm to her siblings, albeit she's done it before but never on this level, is crossing the line. I can put up with bad attitudes, I can put up with scheming against my friends during an important football game, I can even put up with her calling me names, but this has gone way too far! Linus, we will go to your parents and we WILL tell them what your sister's been up to! And if she has a problem with that, she can answer to me! And that goes for the rest of those so-called Serpent Sisters as well! If only I knew who did that egging and toilet papering of houses, though."

"The Serpent Sisters were responsible for that as well," Linus said meekly.

"Say what?!" said Patty.

"Lucy and the Serpents were the ones who toilet papered and egged the houses on Halloween night."

Patty's blood started to boil. "THAT LITTLE….!" The rest gasped in shock when he uttered that. They never knew Peppermint Patty to use such language, no matter how upset she was. Before they could react, she stormed out of Joe's.

"What did I say?" asked a confused Linus.

"Marcie's house was one of the houses that got egged and papered," said Charlie Brown. "She was crying over it when we saw her the day after Halloween at Ace's; the same day Patty blew up at your sister."

"Oh good grief!" Linus exclaimed realizing the ramifications of telling her that the Serpents were responsible for egging and papering the houses on Halloween.

"And ever since then, Patty swore she'd make whoever did that to Marcie's house pay," Frieda added.

"And now she's going over to their hideout about to start trouble," said a worried Charlie Brown.

"We need to stop her before she hurts herself," said Eudora.

"I got an idea," said Charlie Brown. "Franco, call Hans and tell him what's going on and for him to get Marcie. She's the only one who can calm Patty down. Eudora, you take Linus back to your house and stay there so he'll be safe from any retaliation from the Serpents. Frieda, you come with me. We're going to find the rest of the gang. We'll need all the help we can get. When Peppermint Patty's on the war path, it'll take an army to stop her. Marcie will know where the hideout is and can tell us where Patty is heading." And everyone left Joe's to stop Patty from hurting herself or others.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: MEANWHILE BACK AT THE HIDEOUT…**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE SERPENTS**

At the Serpent Sisters hideout, Mamba and the rest of the Serpents were hanging out. Anaconda and Rattler were playing pool, Cobra was watching TV, and Mamba and Python were playing cards. They had nothing planned for the day so they just hung out until something came up.

"I told my brother not to say anything to my parents about being a Serpent," Mamba said.

"Do you think he'll say anything?" asked Python.

"Don't worry," Mamba assured everyone. "I've always kept him in check, even before I joined you girls."

"That's good," said Cobra. "We don't need any trouble. We got enough to worry about with the police, the teachers at our schools, and the Spiders."

"The Spiders?" asked a confused Mamba.

"Our rivals, Mamba," said Python.

"That's right," added Cobra. "Now that you are a Serpent, Mamba, you should know we are at war with the Spiders, another female gang on the even rougher side of town. The leader's name is Black Widow, and she has other girls with her. Although she never brings all of them unless they rumble."

"You mean they fight other gangs?"

"Yep. But we're their biggest rivals. And we feel a rumble is imminent. We may have to defend our turf."

"I'm ready for them," said Rattler, swinging her cue stick. "Let those Spider creeps start something! I'll cream them!"

"The only problem is we don't know how many girls they got," said Python. "There's five of us, but they may have a ton more."

"Why haven't I heard of the Spiders?" asked Mamba. "I knew of you girls before I was even a member, but I never even knew about the Spiders at all."

"Not too many have heard or seen the Spiders," Cobra stated. "Outside of Black Widow and her Second-In-Command Tarantula, no one knows too much about the Spiders. We may be tough and troublemakers, but they are really dangerous. You know, what many folks think WE are. We may be tough and can hold our own, but we also know not to do stuff like steal or really hurt someone that we don't have to."

"We will fight someone only if it's necessary," said Python. "The Spiders will hurt anyone without much provocation."

"Have they been giving us trouble as of lately?" asked a concerned Mamba.

"Not so far," said Cobra. "But we have been on high alert."

"You better be ready, Mamba!" said a gung-ho Rattler. "Because if the Spiders attack, we're counting on you to have our backs!"

"I got your backs, girls," said Mamba. "I just didn't know about the Spiders until now."

"We have no doubt about that, Mamba," said Cobra with a smile. "We never would have made you a Serpent if we didn't think you'd have our backs. We just want you to be on alert if it looks like the Spiders are coming towards our turf."

At that moment, the girls heard "LUCILLE!" The girls looked outside and saw an angry Peppermint Patty. She was beat red with anger and her fists were clenched tight. She was ready for a fight and she didn't care about what happened to her at that point. She shouted "GET OUT HERE, RIGHT NOW! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! AND BRING YOUR SERPENT SISTERS WITH YOU IF YOU WANT! THE MORE THE MERRIER!"

"Is that girl nuts?!" asked a bewildered Rattler. "It's five of us and one of her! She must have a death wish."

"You know that crazy girl, Mamba?" asked Cobra.

"Yeah," sighed Mamba. "THAT is Peppermint Patty, the girl who held a bigger grudge against me than Charlie Brown over the Homecoming incident."

"At least it's not one of the Spiders," said Python.

"True," Cobra began, "but we must put this girl in her place. Hopefully we won't have to go to blows."

"Let me go see her, myself," said Mamba. "It's me she really wants. If I need help, I'll shout for you."

"We'll be waiting, Mamba, don't worry," said a venomous Rattler, punching her fist into her palm with a sick smile. "Just say the word, sister!"

"All right, Mamba," said Cobra. "You see if you can talk some sense into her. We'll be on standby if you need us."

"WELL? I'M WAITING…"

"HOLD ON, I'M COMING OUT!" shouted Mamba. She opened the door and walked up towards a livid Peppermint Patty. She stopped about five feet out so there was a safe distance between the two of them.

"All right, Patricia, what did I do to you this time?" asked an impatient Mamba.

"It's not what you did to me," Patty stated. "It's what you did to Marcie!"

"What are you talking about? I never had any contact with Marcie in who knows when!"

"Don't play dumb with me, Lucille! I know you and those Serpent Sisters egged and toilet papered Marcie's house!"

"What? We were never near your neighborhood when we did that!"

"So you admit you egged and toilet papered those houses!"

"Patricia, while we did egg and paper houses on Halloween night, we were never near yours or Marcie's neighborhoods. We stayed on the rough side of town when we did that. We may not be on the best of terms right now, but even with our issues, I'd never do that!"

"Like you never intentionally pulled the ball away from Chuck during an important game, Right? Come on, Lucille! You haven't been truthful as of late. So you can understand why I wouldn't believe you."

"Okay, don't take my word for it. I'll let the leader of the Serpent Sisters tell you. COME ON OUT, COBRA! LET HER KNOW WE WEREN'T ANYWHERE NEAR HER NEIGHBORHOOD!" At that moment, Cobra came out and joined Mamba by her side.

"So you're Peppermint Patty," she said, coldly. "I understand you're quite the baseball player."

"I see my reputation precedes me with you girls," Patty said. "I must admit, I'm actually a little flattered. All I want to know is during Halloween, did any of your gang egg any houses in my neighborhood?"

"What street do you live on?" asked Cobra. "I'm not looking for an actual address; just the street name."

"Fillmore Street is the street in question," said Patty.

"We were never in that neighborhood," said Cobra, calmly. "Someone else egged and papered those houses. We stayed on the west side, which is the rougher side of town."

"Oh," Patty said, finally calming down. "So none of you were anywhere near Fillmore Street?"

"Nope. We stayed close to our hideout here."

"Well, I apologize for accusing you for egging my friend's house."

"Don't worry about it. You were looking out for your friend. That's actually admiral of you. Nobody faults you for acting like you did. I totally understand why you were angry."

"Who told you we papered Marcie's house, Patty?" asked Mamba.

"Well, your brother said he saw empty egg cartons and toilet paper rolls in the trash at your house," said Patty.

"That stupid blockhead!" Mamba said through gritted teeth. "I'll deal with him later."

"Well he was concerned about you being with this gang," Patty reasoned. "You can't blame him, really. Especially after you threatened him."

"It sounds like my brother was singing like a jaybird, wasn't he?" said Mamba. "I'll tell you what, Patricia. I'll let this misunderstanding pass, this time. You may not be as lucky next time you come alone without an army!"

"Is that a threat, Lucille?!"

"It's a promise, dearie. And the name's not 'Lucille'. Not anymore. The name is now 'Mamba'!"

"MAMBA?! Oh, good grief!" Peppermint Patty started walking away from the two girls. Mamba and Cobra went back inside the warehouse where the other girls were.

As Patty was walking for home, she was surprised to see Charlie Brown, Frieda, Marcie, Franco, Hans, Franklin, Melanie, and Schroeder. She wondered what they were doing there.

"Hey kids," she said. "Were all of you looking for me?"

"We were concerned about you, sir," said Marcie. "You seem all right."

"I actually thought the Serpent Sisters egged your house, Marcie," Patty replied. "But as it turns out, they had nothing to do with our neighborhood. While they were out egging and toilet papering houses, they stayed away from our area."

"Then who was responsible for your neighborhood?" asked Charlie Brown.

"I don't think the Serpents even knows, Chuck," said Patty. "I am sorry if I scared you all. I think from here on out, I'm not going to even discuss Lucille, excuse me, Mamba, anymore. At least after today."

"Mamba?!" asked the kids, bewildered.

"That's what Lucille is going by now. I guess it's her Serpent Sisters' handle, or something."

"Oh brother!" said Charlie Brown.

"That reminds me, Chuck," she continued, "you may want to have Linus spend the night at your place tonight. I think Mamba may get revenge on him for telling us the Serpents were responsible for Marcie's house, when they weren't. He thought they were, and I also thought they were, but she won't care either way."

"I think you're right, Patty," Charlie Brown agreed. "I'll ask my parents and have him call his parents and get permission. I think it's best that he stays away from there for at least a day to let Lu- err… Mamba calm down."

"Okay, it's settled then," Patty finished. "In the meantime, I'm going back home. Franco, do you want to watch a movie? We can go back to Joe's tomorrow and finish our date then."

"Yah, it's fine, Patricia," said Franco. And they started to leave for her house. Marcie and Hans turned to Charlie Brown and Frieda.

"Thank you for looking out for Patty, Charles," said Marcie. She gave him a friendly peck on the cheek. "You are a good friend to us. And while it's been said before, but Frieda, you are lucky to have him as your boyfriend."

"Thank you, Marcie," said Frieda. "I just wish there was more kids and people like Charlie Brown." Charlie Brown smiled and blushed.

"Come on, Melanie," said Franklin. "Let's head back to my house. We still got a lot of studying to do."

"Aww, come on, Frankie," whined Melanie. "We came out this far and it's getting late!"

"It's not that late, Mel," stated Franklin. They headed back to Franklin's house. Marcie and Hans followed.

"Maybe I can get some Sonata's knocked out before bed," said Schroeder as he was leaving. Charlie Brown and Frieda left as well.

Back in the warehouse, a livid Mamba was pacing back and forth. "The audacity of her to accuse me of egging Marcie's house!" she stormed. "What I want to know who really WAS behind that?!"

"I'd like to know, too," agreed Python.

"I think it may have been the Spiders," stated Cobra. "I think it was their way of messing up our turf."

"I'm ready to KNOCK SOME HEADS!" said a pumped Rattler.

"Take a number," said Mamba. "Because if it was the Spiders, heads WILL roll!"

"But we don't know for sure if it was them," Python reasoned.

"You're right, Python," agreed Cobra. "We will have to do some investigating and asking questions around that neighborhood. If it turns out it was the Spiders, we'll go from there. Agreed?" All of the girls agreed with Cobra. They would wait until they had further evidence, and then strike.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: HIDING LINUS**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: THE CALM AFTER THE STORM**

Linus was at Charlie Brown's house. He was able to grab a change of clothes and his toothbrush before Mamba got home. Charlie Brown's parents said that it was alright for Linus to stay the night. They had dinner, and Frieda called Charlie Brown to see if Linus made it there safely.

"He's here now, Frieda," said Charlie Brown. "I went with him when he grabbed some clothes from home just in case his crazy sister came home before we left."

"Good thing," said Frieda. "What did he say when you told him about what happened today?"

"He was glad she and the Serpents didn't egg Marcie's house," Charlie Brown stated, "but was also afraid of what she would do when she got home. Rerun will be alright, because he hasn't gotten on Mamba's wrong side. At least not yet."

"Well, I hope he stays safe," said a relived Frieda. "I'm glad he's at your house for tonight, sweetie."

"Me too. I just hope Mamba and her crazy friends don't try something stupid."

"Anyway, I'll talk to you tomorrow, hun. Sweet dreams, my love."

"Goodnight, Frieda. Love you." He hung up the phone. Linus walked in and sat down on the couch. He was relieved, but also worried about when he went back home. Will his sister try to do something to him, or will it be calm over there, he wondered. Charlie Brown walked in and joined him on the couch. Snoopy came in as well.

"Charlie Brown, I don't know what I'm going to do," said a sad Linus. "Lucy's gone off the deep end. And it seems like I'm powerless to stop it. If something happens to her, I'd never forgive myself."

"Linus, she chose to live this lifestyle," assured Charlie Brown. "She chose to join up with the Serpents. You are not to blame, no more as I was for losing the Homecoming game two years ago."

"Maybe not, but I think I could have stopped her from joining had I caught on in time."

"I don't think so. She would've joined even if you knew about it before it actually happened."

"Well, thanks for letting me stay the night, Charlie Brown. Hopefully Lucy will be in a better mood tomorrow."

"No problem, Linus. And I told Sally to give you some space so you can get your thoughts together."

"Good ol' Charlie Brown." Linus sat back as he, Charlie Brown, and Snoopy watched TV. Linus wondered what would happen in the next few weeks with Lucy in the gang.

 _Ooh-oo child  
Things are gonna get easier  
Ooh-oo child  
Things'll get brighter  
Ooh-oo child  
Things are gonna get easier  
Ooh-oo child  
Things'll get brighter  
Someday, yeah  
We'll get it together and we'll get it all done  
Some day  
When your head is much lighter  
Someday, yeah  
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun  
Some day  
When the world is much brighter  
Ooh-oo child  
Things are gonna be easier  
Ooh-oo child  
Things'll get be brighter  
Ooh-oo child  
Things are gonna be easier  
Ooh-oo child  
Things'll get be brighter_

 _Someday, yeah  
We'll get it together and we'll get it all done  
Some day  
When your head is much lighter  
Someday, yeah  
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun  
Some day  
When the world is much brighter  
Someday, yeah  
We'll get it together and we'll get it all done  
Some day  
When your head is much lighter  
Someday, yeah  
We'll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun  
Some day  
When the world is much brighter  
Ooh-oo child  
Things are gonna get easier  
Ooh-oo child  
Things'll get brighter  
Ooh-oo child  
Things are gonna get easier  
Ooh-oo child  
Things'll get brighter  
Right now, right now  
(You just wait and see how things are gonna be)_

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

"O-o-h Child" written by Stan Vincent

Sony/ATV Music Publishing


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